Tell your story. What was the moment you knew you had to have a Spyder?

[denviola]

Wife and I both have two wheelers, and we each have some minor medical issues that made it hard to ride distances. We decided to put a Voyager kit on the Harley as a stop-gap measure until we decided on a trike to buy. Our son was about to start college so there was the funding thing to deal with.
The Voyager (outrigger) kit added stability although it was a lot of work in curves. It was heavy and hard on the rear tire, since the center rear tire drags through turns.

We looked at Gold Wing Conversions and Tri-Glides, and I test drove as many as I could find. That was was easy as co-workers had some and bike breakfast meets were a great place for info as well. Just about settled on a Wing conversion when a co-worker showed up with a Spyder RT. Had seen these but never seriously considered them. Looked it over extensively, did my homework including this forum and decided to get a test ride. Hopped on the Harley heading to the local (small) dealer for a test drive. The intent was to get a RS for the wife, but the only remaining RS was sold and we could only sit on it. Salesman suggested trying the RT, so we did. After pushing around the weight of the Harley and the extra effort of steering, the RT was a dream. Each of us drove it 2 up, with the salesman leading the way. No noisy exhaust and bumpy ride. We loved it and that was the point we knew we would have a Spyder. The ride home on the Harley was the clincher.

[jenmom22]

I was riding a BMW K1200GT with my friend up in Nova Scotia in 2009. The Beemer is pretty high off the ground and quite heavy, especially for my 60 something year old knees.
I dropped the thing three times and after the 3rd time a guy with this neat looking 3-wheeled contraption came up to give me a hand. After he helped me get the Beemer back up I chatted with him about this Can Am Spyder thing. I decided then and there that I was gonna get me one of those. As soon as I got back to Ohio(with a 3-day stop over in Bangor, Maine to get 3 cardiac stents put in) I sold my BMW on eBay and bought my first Spyder. I have not been disappointed and have not tumbled over again.

Wonderful story!

The only question I have for you is ... why haven't you been down to Texas yet? We have some wonderful roads - come on down, and I'll show you the Twisted Sisters (three awesome roads).

[jenmom22]

I rode a MP3-Piaggio for awhile (cute scooters), but when I started having mechanical problems, I sold it back to Vespa via the lemon laws. I didn't like being without a ride, but wasn't sure what I wanted.

On Highway 16, there is a place where people can put things for sale and one day (2009) I saw this beautiful yellow thing. I hurried home to do some research - it was a Can-Am Spyder. After much research and drooling, I went to the nearest dealership, talked to Kelly and we test rode it. She had a 2009 model (someone had ordered it, but the financing fell through). A couple hours later, I was the proud owner of a 2009 yellow RS. They delivered a few days later (I lived about an hour away).

Over the next few months, I learned how to ride it (very different than two wheels and other three-wheel types), and bugged Dudley here on the forum. Love, love, love my Spyder!

This past July, I reached 6,000 miles on her and took her in for the oil change/check up. I saw the 2012 matte green model, and instead of getting a 6,000 mile check up, I now owned a brand new RSS. She now has 4,000 miles on her. I ride her at least once a week to work, and I have one or two rides each month with a group of wonderful women (L.O.W Riders - Ladies on Wheels). I am the only RS rider, and we have a RT rider that lives in Austin.

Love my byke!!!

[johnwinslow]

My buddie RogerB, had one, the Ba___rd would not offer to let me try it, so I went and bought my own,(2011 RTS red)

[spydermyke990]

Way back when I was about 10, (about 1980)I my parents had a couple of 250 Yamaha enticer sleds, I was curious about dirt bikes, and already had a fixation on John Deere tractors(don't ask why, I just did lol), but I was way to small for my age and thus a little too short of inseam to be comfortable on even an 80cc bike. Anyhow, I was leafing through an old farm magazine and came upon an ad from a company called "mini wheels" selling kits to convert snowmobiles into 4wheeled atv's. I kept drawing pictures of such a setup but with big balloon tires and turn signals to make it street legal. Then in '83 I discover 3wheeled atv's and that bece my new obsession. For the next 29 years it evolved into 4 wheelers, and in 2007 I seen an article in dirt wheels about BRP experimenting with prototypes for a spyder, and it looked exactly like I had envisioned years ago, but with 1 fat wheel in the back.

I still hung on to the quad wheelers, but kept watching as brp continually developed their line of spyders, and in 2009 I bought a can am renegade x, which was my intro to the brp family. About a year ago, me & my dad were talking, and I was complaining about the ever- dwindling riding areas in NYS, and he suggested getting a spyder, since we both noticed an increasing amount of them on the road. I went and got my m/c license this past October, and this week I will pickup my brand new, fully farkled yellow sts(same exact color scheme as the 2 Yamaha tri motos I had back in the 80s), and ryde it home.

[Babyblue]

In the summer of 2009, we were on are way to Owatonna and saw this bright yellow 3 wheeler go speeding by us. I thought it was the neatest thing I had ever seen. We were in the market for a new ride, but when I pointed the trike out, hubby gave me that look that said No Way!

When we got home I immediately googled trikes and up popped information on the Can Am. I was enthralled, but at that time there seemed to be alot of issues with them. Later on towards fall we were at a BMW dealer and they had the most beautiful red RS. I sat on it and new I was home. The price tag was more then we could afford and I walked away a little saddened.

After crashing my Yamaha that fall, I new I was doomed to never have a ride of my own, but I stll kept following the Spyder on the internet. There still seemed to be some problems afflicting them, but I figured eventually they would all work out.

Finally in 2012 we were riding around up north and stopped at Caswells in Mora. Les the owner and Jaime the sales person talked with me quite extensively. Les said hop on their RT Ltd and he would take me for a test drive while he road one of the other Can Ams. We rode for about 1/2 hour through town and a short stint on the hiway. I can't explain the thril I felt. My husband had his new HD and he said when I came back I was smilling so big he could see it for blocks. He new right then and there it was a done deal. One week later I purchased my little girl and I haven't looked back.

I rode her the 85 miles home and not once did I feel awkward. Sure I was nervous, but I put all my faith in her and what I had read on this forum and I will never forget it.

I know this sounds emotional, but after my accident I was sure I would never ride again. The Can Am has made that possible.

Lori

[Babyblue]

I had been interested in getting into motorcycling for a while, and after I got divorced, I suddenly became a risk-taker and bought a Suzuki Savage (650 cc) without ever having ridden before. I never got the hang of it and sold it. Years later I tried again and bought a Burgman 400, thinking the automatic would make a difference. Then, after taking the MSF course on 250cc bikes, I realized shifting gears wasn't so hard. So I traded the Burgie for a V-Star 950. Boy did I bite off more than I could chew. I kept dropping it, and became fearful every time I took it out. So I dowsized to a V-star 250 to get comfortable. But it never happened. With some health problems thown in, it got to where I looked for reasons not to ride, instead of for reasons to ride. I had seen the Spyder ads and occasionally on the road. But funds were limited and the nearest dealer to me is 2 hours away. But I was determined to find one I could afford. I found my RTS on CraigsList. It had been traded in to a Harley dealer in Joplin and they had a decent price on it and then came down some, to boot. So I am finally on the road, open air, feeling great about it.

Can't wait to meet ya'll at Spyderfest and continue my Spyducation.

Wow, my experience to a T !! Even the V Star experience.

You are right about the open air and feeling great about it....

[spydrluvr]

I was actually at work, when my co-worker asked me if I had ever seen "one of these". I had not....but it was love at first sight.....I had gone back to school....and I said to my co-worker, "if i make it through this program (pharm-d degree) i'm gonna have one of those......

school finished.....lyfe just begun....ryding my 2012 rt limited!!!!

[geoshmo]

In April 2011 my wife and I were at a snowmobile show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where they were showcasing the new model sleds for the next winter. I had looked at the spyders before but she had not. She would not ride behind me on my bike as it scared her. When she looked at the Spyder she quite liked it and so I said for her to sit up on it and I sat in the drivers seat. Then I shifted my weight side to side to show her how stable it was. Not much more was said other than she thought it was too much money.

The very next day she called my office and said there was a used 09 RS for sale on Kijiji. So I looked at it on the computer and it looked in good shape. When I got home that night she says I think we should phone him and see if we can look at it tommorrow. We looked at it and bought it that very day before she could change her mind. Last October I traded it in on a new 2012 RT-S and now if we could get rid of about 3 feet of snow we could get back riding again.

[retread]

Started riding in 1954, owned bikes most of my life. In 2006, realized that my back had reached the point that I couldn't pick up a 2 wheeler if I dropped it. Saw a "spy" pic of a Spyder in Cycle World in '07, had to go to MI to get one, no dealers in IN in '08. Planning on ryding till I can't.

john

[summerdawn]

It was May 2012 and I had 49,754 miles on my '07 Harley. I loved the bike but my husband had just gotten a new Harley Street Glide and urged me to trade too. I thought that if I wanted a decent trade in value for my bike, I should trade before I turned over 50K miles. We drove to the nearest Harley dealership one Saturday morning so I could look at the new models. The Harley shop wasn't open, so to pass the half hour until it opened we went next door to Lexington Motor Sports. Looking around I saw a 2012 RT, the first I had ever seen. I had never even seen a Spyder on the highway before. I walked around and around it, sat on it, opened all the storage compartments, learned about the safety features. I was interested in this thing but it wasn't a motorcycle. Could I give up riding a motorcycle? We went to the Harley shop and I did not like any of the new bikes. My husband tried to get me to buy a new Street Glide in a color I liked but I knew it wasn't for me. A few days later I came back to test ride the Spyder and liked it until I took it on the interstate. That scared me but I bought it anyway. I bid a fond fairwell to my Harley and became the proud owner of a red RT semi-automatic. No clutch! No front brake! Paddle shifter! I figured if I was going for a change, I may as well go whole hog! I shocked my friends and neighbors but they like the Spyder and I have had a ball on it. Wait until they see what I've done to it over the winter!

[Bob Ledford]

I knew I was hooked when I felt the fresh clean air in my face and I was able to run through the gears and NOT HAVE TO PULL A CLUTCH HANDLE. I had to give up riding our last GW when I was facing my second upcoming CUBITAL TUNNEL SYNDROME operation and being faced with sitting in 5 PM Jacksonville FL traffic on I-295.

I had just undergone a military unit deactivation in JAX and transferred to St Augustine to the State Headquarters of the Florida Army National Guard to be the head Non Commissioned Officer In Charge of the newly activated Medical unit. So we sold the GW and put. myself in a 1996 Silverado pickup truck.

I was forced into retirement in March 2001 from that duty position and the military relocated us to home. Which was to be Ormond Beach for us.

During July 2011 BRP was running Can Am tv ads and my spouse called me into to living room one night saying lets go by Daytona Fun Machines after breakfast one morning. I promptly ran the idea through memory erase and went back to building my new web site. She did not forget it. So soon afterwards she brought the idea up again and I said, OK DEAR! Is that not what your supposed to do?

We went in one day after lunch and were met by the floor sales guy who gave us the FAQ routine and followed that with a reintroduction to the owner who promptly remembered us from our GW days. They set us up with the time and date towards the end of the week on what they decided was a low traffic day, we got there and got the walk around preflight instructions. Had to sit on it and start it up etc. had to go to the Accessories Dept for a helmet fitting, I had boots and gloves, combat boots and yard gloves!

Then we moved it outside to the parking lot where I had to make laps, starting, stopping, backing up, shifting gears and shutting down. When the sales instructor was satisfied we broke for fortifying cup of coffee and the four of us talked about a route. When the owner, Chris, finally said, Bob knows how to ride, just go and enjoy we got your wife as a hostage.

Two hours later I called her cell and said, I am OK and this is more fun then sacking monkeys! I still have gas to burn. When she reminded me I needed my 11 AM pills that she had. So call it time out! Reluctantly I gave in and headed back. When I got back I was grinning so much it would have taken an undertaker days to get rid of the smile.

we rode home with a paid receipt and a new 11 RTTL in Pearl with zero miles and a full tank of gas

[jvicker]

Saw it on the Today Show back in '08 and had to have one.

[bhfromme]

These stories are awesome. Keep 'em coming!

[NoJive]

Hmmm....well I had always liked them, but told myself there was no way I would pay that much for one. Had a Suzuki C50 that I loved, but had a couple scary moments on road gravel including a slow speed drop at a railroad crossing. I also did not like to ride it in the rain, period. I started looking around for a Spyder for a friend, and my local dealer had one for under $12k. The Mrs. and I went by to look at it, and much to my surprise, she LOVED it. Next day, it followed me home. I will say this, I have never had any "toy" that I have been this enamored with. Got it June of last year, and I still get the same feelings of amazement/excitement that I had when it was driven out of the showroom. I rode last year in some massive downpours and had a blast and I've ridden in 19F morning temps, which I would've never done on the C50. I tell everyone I meet that it is a lot of money, but well, well worth it.

[cyclelover63]

I am 59 I hadn't owned or rode a motorcycle for 40 years..An 82 yr old man brought his Spyder to where I work to show me..He was a regular customer of mine..I had only seen one at a car show and thought it was awesome looking..He told me to take it for a ride..I did,and it brought back all of the old feelings of riding..A couple months later,he wanted to know if I wanted to buy it,because he was going to buy an RT..Knowing my wife would never ride with me,I just mentioned it to her in passing..I got her to at least go look at it..It was funny to see her go down the road on the back of it behind that 82 yr old man..That was the very first time she had ever ridden..They came back in about 15 minutes,she got off and said "Let's get it!!!"...Now I can't get her off of it,she is even learning to drive it..She even says it has changed our lives..

[GaSpyd3r]

I'm not a spyder owner yet but I do have plans on buying one hopefully this year. February 19, 2012 I was out riding my girls Yamaha 1100 when I went down in an accident. I broke my left ankle and have been laid up for a month now. Days after the accident I started thinking that I wouldn't ride again because I couldn't afford to be off of work like this again. Feeling sorry for myself and stupid , I started thinking it had to be a safer and better way to enjoy riding. Then alone came the spyder. I have been researching the spyder for the last 3 weeks and have became excited about the thought of owning and riding one. I figured with 3 wheel and all the safety features the spyder has to offer, that it might be possible for me to stay on it upright and not break any more bones. I have plans to schedule a test ride once I can walk again and I'm lean towards a 2012 RS SE5 ($14,300). Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it! It could have been worst but I think I will survive a broken ankle and I also feel that the spyder was made just for me.

The only downside to this is that I have to save up more money because I'm using my savings now to pay bills and I think I will miss the beginning, if not all of this year riding season.

[PrairieSpyder]

. . . and have been laid up for a month now. . . . I have been researching the spyder for the last 3 weeks . . . I figured with 3 wheel and all the safety features the spyder has to offer, that it might be possible for me to stay on it upright and not break any more bones. . . .

Isn't it something how a lot of spare time and and internet connection can get things started?

As to staying upright, I always say that when ryding my Spyder, I may fall off, but I won't fall over!

[Bob Denman]

Weebles wobble; right?

[2 Stricklands]

I rode on 2 wheels in the 1970's, then moved to DC and met and married Barb. She had maybe been on the back of a bike a couple of times. We moved to Colorado for 15 years and then to Virginia and in 2011 starting to notice the weird bikes. One day we looked at them at a dealer and I could tell she was interested. On her birthday, we went back and wrote a check for 1/2 the cost and made it a BD present. We picked it up about a month later and she followed me in the car. On the way home, I pulled into a parking lot and gave her some directions and let her drive around the lot. She was hooked. I set up a test course on the driveway at home and she practiced. After a little while, (a few weeks) had her follow me to DMV and she got on the Spyder and the Spyder passed the test for her. Now we are both qualified, although she generally rides behind me. We try to ride every week, but we get out at least once a month in the winter. We have owned a 2011 RT, SE5 since August 2011 and now have about 8500 miles on it.

See everyone at Spyderfest and at Maggie Valley and at Lamont's BBQ

Steve & Barb

[Harley]

Back in the summer of 2010, the wife and I were on a nice little Sunday drive. We wound up at Johnson's Shut Ins State Park. As we were getting ready to leave a strange looking thing with three wheels came into the parking lot along with two two-wheelers. We strolled over to where they were dis-mounting, and I could not take my eyes off the three-wheeled thing. The lady riding the Spyder asked me if I wanted to take it for a spin, which I promptly declined. I did sit on the bike, she informed me that it had reverse, very stable, etc. She owned a HD, but she said she liked the Spyder much more, and was going to sell the HD. After a short visit (with my jaw hanging down, and drool dripping off my chin), I informed my wife I was going to own one of those "Spyders". All I had owned before were two-wheelers, the last one a GW. We now are the proud owners of a 2012 Limited, Pearl White.

[bhfromme]

Weebles wobble; right?

Weebles wobble but they don't fall down!

Hey Bob it sounds like your kids are about the same age as mine!

Bill

[Yazz]

Did lots of road trips on my Springer. Loved being out in the wind. Then something happened and I couldn't ride two wheels any more. Tried being a passenger, but it's just not my nature. Hubby even put a Queen Seat on his Deuce for me. It's just not the same as being the rider. This went on for three long years.

Finally decided to get a little four-wheelie to putz around the rally we go to every year. Was on the internet and saw the most beautiful, awesome contraption in the world. A Spyder Phantom. Droooool... Oh yes, it will be mine...

Called all over town and only one dealership had a Phantom on the floor. (The rally was in a couple weeks.) Went to the dealership and they let me take it out by myself for a test ride. The power of the engine, the roar of the pipes, the wind in my face again, that Spyder was mine!

And so the next chapter of my life began...

[smoky]

December of 2011 the wife and I were both at the dinner table when a commercial for Can Am came on featuring the Spyders. We both simultaneously said "That's what we need!" And we did. Four months later, March of 2012 we had our red 2011 RTS-E5...no more two wheeling and twice the fun...(she rides now.)

[bhfromme]

Call me selfish but I love reading these stories so much I am bringing this thread back to the top. Keep the stories coming. It's good reading!

Bill